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Travel guide
Paris
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Paris, in a few days
Paris is a city to walk, head tilted up between the zinc roofs of the Marais and the UNESCO-listed banks of the Seine. It moves between world-famous monuments and neighbourhood life: a morning at the Louvre, an afternoon on Montmartre, an evening on a café terrace on Rue de Bretagne.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Eiffel Tower · about 2 hBest seen first from the Trocadéro, then climbed: the second floor gives the clearest view over the monuments, the top a real sense of height.
- Afternoon · A Seine cruise · about 1 hAn hour on the river past the Conciergerie, Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, from Pont de l'Alma or Square du Vert-Galant.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Britannique€180 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Musée d'Orsay · 2 to 3 hThe largest Impressionist collection anywhere, under the glass roof of a Belle Époque railway station, including Van Gogh's Starry Night over the Rhône.
- Afternoon · The Louvre · 2 to 3 hThe former royal palace holds tens of thousands of works, from the Mona Lisa to the Code of Hammurabi, entered through the glass pyramid.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Arts Montmartre€140 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Île de la Cité free · half a dayThe island where Paris began: the restored Notre-Dame, the stained-glass walls of the Sainte-Chapelle and the Gothic Conciergerie, then the flower market and the quays.
- Afternoon · The Marais free · about 2 hSeventeenth-century mansions and designer shops to wander without a plan, then the arcades of the Place des Vosges, the city's oldest planned square.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc Le Marais€170 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Montmartre free · about 2 hUp the Rue Foyatier steps or by funicular, then the Clos Montmartre vineyard, the Maison Rose and the Passe-Muraille statue in the lanes behind Sacré-Cœur.
- Afternoon · The Palace of Versailles · a full dayLouis XIV's palace 40 minutes from Paris: the Hall of Mirrors, the formal gardens and the Grand Canal, then Marie-Antoinette's hamlet for a quieter contrast.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Caron de Beaumarchais€210 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €170 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/paris
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.